MLB

Every year it happens—one guy in your fantasy league is convinced he's had the most epic draft ever and brags about how stacked his lineup is or how deep his pitching rotation will prove to be.

And then it happens. A key player goes down to an injury. A guy here or a guy there turns out to be a bust. Before he knows it, your buddy has a team of chronic underachievers and a full disabled list.

The world doesn't stand a chance when Fernando Rodney brings his lucky plantain to the ballpark. 

The Dominican Republic moved past the Netherlands Monday night and will now play in the World Baseball Classic final against Puerto Rico. 

Sure, you could give some of the credit to the timely hitting of Moises Sierra and Robinson Cano, but the real reason the Dominican Republic took the semifinal was the undeniable power of Fernando Rodney's lucky plantain. 

Stephen Strasburg dominated hitters for five months in 2012. If he has his way, he'll have a chance to do it for six or seven months in 2013.

It always seems like the trades that make the most sense from both teams’ perspectives are the ones that rarely happen. Team A has bullpen depth and is looking for a right-handed hitting fourth outfielder. Team B has some outfield depth and would like to shore up their bullpen. Simple enough from an outsider’s point of view, right?  

As spring training begins to wind down, each organization continues to make rounds of cuts, as they option many of their roster hopefuls to either a specific minor league level or simply re-assign them to minor league camp.

For many of these players, it seems as though it will be only a matter of time until they either return to or reach the major leagues for the first time

A fantasy baseball draft is supposed to be fun. If you're not ready, though, participating in a draft can be a bit like taking a test without studying.

Whether you simply forgot to prep or just didn't have time to, you'd still prefer to avoid walking away from your draft feeling like a high-schooler who just failed a calc' final. Consider this five-minute guide your quick-and-dirty study session to help you cram for—and pass—that fast-approaching draft.

The Toronto Blue Jays have some of the biggest question marks in regard to positional battles. With such an influx of talent, many opening day jobs are up for grabs. But with such a vast amount of assets, it will be tough to sit a very skilled player. As my father would always say, "It is a good problem to have".

So who gets the nod?

Winning a division is simple.

On paper.

If it was just on paper, the Detroit Tigers could hoist their third consecutive American League Central Division Championship trophy right now.

But that's why they play 162 games over seven grueling months, and fight so hard to be successful.

Every team needs a blueprint to carving out their championship plan, and the Tigers have been pretty good at following their own blueprint the last two seasons.

The World Baseball Classic has come and mostly gone, leaving us a sparsely attended but passionately watched Caribbean final that should be a boon for Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic.

I'll leave it for others to debate why the power teams of the USA and Venezuela went out so quickly, instead focusing on the lack of injuries. In fact, there's only one of any note, though there have been some minor injuries here and there, but nothing that doesn't happen at normal spring training. 

Looking to complete an undefeated run through the 2013 World Baseball Classic and make history, the Dominican Republic will have its sights set on a perfect 8-0 when it faces Puerto Rico in the WBC finale on Tuesday night.

The D.R. has already beaten the Puerto Ricans twice, including a 2-0 victory on March 16 that helped push the Dominicans into the semifinals.

In front of what's likely to be a sellout crowd at AT&T Park at 8 p.m. ET, the baseball world will see a new champion crowned in the WBC.